Constance Contraire
"Rules and schools are tools for fools. I don't give two mules for rules!" '~ ''A poem by Constance, "The Mysterious Benedict Society" '''Constance Contraire is a very stubborn and intelligent girl. She is amazing. She is the youngest and most bothersome member of the Mysterious Benedict Society. Though she is naughty, she plays a very big role in the group. She is known for her poems, hardheadedness, and never-ending complaints. Nicholas Benedict, the very man who formed the clique, adopted her and welcomed her to his home. History Constance, about a year prior to the beginning of the series, lived in an orphanage. However, two Recruiters (later known as Ten Men) expressed interest in her because Mr.Curtain had instructed them to take her to the L.I.V.E. Overhearing their conversation with Myrtle, the runner of the orphanage, she used books to make steps and toys as a landing pad to leave the playroom, grabbed the files containing her personal information, and escapes to a library, where she then starts living, stealing from the librarians for her food. She reads the newspapers every day in case there was any notice about her disappearance. She makes herself forget this disturbing memory, and one day Constance found out about Mr. Benedict's tests. Mr. Benedict sends Milligan to track her down, which brings him back. Appearance Constance has yellow hair and blue eyes; if she were any taller she might resemble Kate enough to be related. She is allegedly very chubby and, in the first book and all illustrations, seen wearing a red raincoat with enough pockets to hold thirty-seven pencils. She is two years old and looks it, but because of her intellect the others assume she is older. She is the stubborn type. She standardly goes on Kate's back because she is so small Etymology The name "Constance Contraire" could be a play off "constantly contrary" or "consistently contrary," referring to Constance's stubborn attitude. In fact, it's her stubborn attitude that saves the Society in the first book. Abilities Constance is, in general terms, a genius and can read, write, and speak intelligently from an extremely early age. She constantly is spouting rhymes on the spot, usually insults directed at whoever's closest to her, so much that Kate comes up with a retaliating rhyme. Unfortunately, we never get to hear it. In the second book it's shown that Constance can tell who's where just by the pattern of his footsteps. This proves useful to the children on many occasions; such as when they are talking and Constance alerts them that Captain Noland is coming down the hall. In the third book, this ability has heightened to the point of almost psychic-appearing power. Constance can predict the weather by sensing patterns in the air, and likely predict behavior as well by mood patterns and knowledge of a person's general behavior. She can also communicate through images telepathically, communicating her location to Reynie in form of a call number at the library. With Sticky, she made him believe for an instant that he didn't like vanilla ice cream, giving it to her, though this caused an immense headache and stomach flu-like symptoms for a couple days. Mr. Benedict tells the children that Constance is highly sensitive to patterns, making her appear psychic. However, she isn't psychic in that she can predict the future without any previous information. She is especially sensitive and can hear the Messengers' voices. Personality Constance is like any other two-year-old except for the happy, innocent and cheerful part. The annoyance factor is enhanced to make up for the lack. She is constantly grumpy and contrary to anything anyone has to say; she insists on having the last word and will do almost anything to get it. Because of her more advanced intellect conflicting with her natural instincts, it's definitely difficult for her to relate to children her own age; thereby making her friends the only people whom she can really relate to. Constance seems to favor Reynie, but it's also quite possible she considers herself close to Sticky as well. Her behavior towards Kate is very sisterly. Constance does, however, have toddler instincts and food is one of her main concerns, especially candies and desserts. if anything's not exactly her way she can get very frustrated. At first Kate is extremely reluctant to have anything to do with her. Quotes ''The Mysterious Benedict Society ''"Milligan! Come and tell us why you're so dreadfully glum!" "What is wrong with YOU?" "Rules and schools are tools for fools-I wouldn't give two mules for rules! "Now we have waited for thirty consecutive, minutes o see some old dirty Executive, thirty long minutes I could have been sleeping, but she doesn't find her appointments worth keeping! The Prisoner's Dilemma "I'm an orphan! I'm an orphan!" "Green plaid is quite hidiouss, a pattern cooked up, by dimwit desighners tha must have been mad." Trivia *Constance's poems are often used for comic relief. *Many of Mr. Curtain's henchmen are wary of Constance's special ability. *Her birthday is January first, as revealed in the third book. Category:Characters Category:Mysterious Benedict Society Members Category:Benedict Followers Category:Orphans Category:Subliminal Messengers